Sheet-music moving and time-keeping apparatus



J. FLYNN. SHEET MUSIC MOVlNG AND TIME KEEPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I3. 19I9. 1,352,363, PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1.

James F'Lynn WITNESS.- INVENTOR.

q BY r 6% A TTORNE Y.

JgFLYNN. SHEET MUSIC MOVING AND TIME KEEPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATiON FILED SEPT. 13. I919.

Patentedv Sept. 7, 1920.

James F l 1111 I ENTOR.

A TTORN E Y.

J. FLYNN.

SHEET MUSIC MOVING AND TIME KEEPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I3, 1919.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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I :.:II:IV

II.IIIIIZIIZII flames Flynn, INIENTOR.

g m m 1 A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FLYNN, OF $00 UNC lION, MICHIGAN.

SHEET-HUSH MOVING AND TIME-KEEPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920,

Application filed September 18, 1819. Serial No. 328,518.

lime-Keeping Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

One of the objects of my present invention is the provision of an apparatus for moving a sheet or web of music rectilinearly before the eyevof the player of an instrument, thereby obviating the necessity of turning sheetsof music as is necessary. un-

der the ordinary well known arrangement at present in vogue.

Another object of the invention isthe p1 0- vi'sion in combination with the rectilinearl movablesheet and means for moving such sheet at various speeds as desired b the operator in. combination with a fined pointer whii-hguides the eye of the player to the chord to be played, and at the same time enables the player to observe strict time.

Another object of the invention isthe provision in combination with the rectilinearl movable sheet or web of music of automatically-movable line-indicating means.

Other objectsand practical advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following desoriptign andclaims'when the same are read in connection-'withthe drawings, accompanying and forming part of thisspexificatiomin which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus constituting the best practical embodiment of my invention that I have asyet devised. v

Fig, 2 is a top plan of the same. a

Fig. '3 is an elevation of the left-hand end of the apparatus. v i

- Fig. 4 is an elevation of theright-hand end thereof. Y i

Fig. 5 is atransverse section taken ini'a plane at the ,right of the pointer 11 in 1, looking toward the le tig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the apparatus illustrating thearrangement of the motor in theibase and thecosnnection of the said motor with the parts that derive motion therefrom. 1 a I Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view illustra- .tive of the mechanism :for feeding. the-line the completion of the downward movement thereof and the subsequent quick raising of the indicator.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section-taken in the plane indicated by the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9-is a sectionon line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views of the drawings:

My novel apparatus comprises among other elements a base 1. In the. said base 1 is arranged a motor 2, preferably, though not necemarily, of spring type. The motor per se isprovided with a winding crank 3, and is otherwise of the ordinary well known construction.

Disposed in basevl adjacent to one of the ends thereof is the idler roll 4 of the apparatus. This roll 4 is mounted at its. lower end on the base, so as to permit of the roll being swung of music is moved in: the direction of its length as hereinafter described.

;The' rolls .4 and 5 are provided-at. their upper ends with trunnions or shaft sections 6, and suitably connected to theupper'end of the shaft section 6 ofthe r0114 is'abar section 7. Connected'at, one end in hinged manner to the said bar section 7, and at its opposite end in hinged manner to the shaft section 6 of the power roll 5, is a toggle lever 8. When said toggle lever 8 is in the position shown by full lines in Fig. l, the idler roll .4 is maintained in the position illustrated in said figure, with a view to holding upright position above the.

5' through the medium of which the sheet the sheet 9 under tension. I When, however,

the toggle lever 8 is flexedupwardly, as indieated-by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the shaft section 6 may be readiLy withdrawn from the .idler roll 4' for the removal of the sheet 9 and the placing of a fresh sheet on the rolls 4 and-5. It will be understood in this connection that the end of the togglelever 8 adjacent to the power roll 5 is also detachable from said power roll so as not to, interfere withvthe removal of a sheet from thexarolls and the mounting of a fresh sheet on the rolls. The motor is connected with. the

power roll 5 preferably in the manner shown in Fig. '6, and .so as to enable the motor to move the forward stretch of the sheet: 9 from turning of'the said shaft 13.

pect thereof.

right to left. The said sheet 9 is in the form of an endless web or belt, and is provided in its inner side adjacent to its lower edge with an elastic or friction-creating strip 10, designed to enable the power roll 5 to better feed the sheet. ment of my invention, the music is written, printed or otherwise inscribed on the outer side of the sheet 9 in a spiral manner lengthwise of the sheet, and so that the music may be read continuously from the beginning to a the end thereof.

Fixed to and rising from the base 1 in front of the forward stretch of the endless sheet 9 is a pointer 11 which indicates the playing point to be observed by the player.

Rising from the base 1 adjacent to one end thereof is an upright slotted guide post 12, and mounted adjacent to the opposite end of the base and extending upwardly therefrom is a threaded shaft 13 that is driven from the motor 2 through the'driving connection shown in Fig.- 6. Mounted on and engaging the shaft 13 is a nut 14 that is designed to be fed downwardly incidental to Connected with and movable downwardly by the said nut 14 is a line-indicator 15, designed as its name imports to mark the line to be played, with a 'view to assisting a student in reading the music. The free end portion of the said indicator 15 is movable vertically in and held against lateral deflection by the post 12.-

In the practical operation of my improvement as thus far described, it will be observed that when the sheet 9 is properly mounted on the rolls 4 and 5 and placed under tension, andthe motor 2 is started, the

forward. stretch of the sheet 9 will be fed froin rightto left. Manifestly the speed of such feed may be increased or diminished by regulation of the motor 2. .It will also be noted that incidental to the described feed or movement of the sheet;9, the indicator 15 will be slowly moved downward so as to approximately designate the line that is to be followed, also that the. pointer 11 will serve as a guide to. assist the player in determining the notes that are to be played. The indicator '15 and the pointer 11 are designed more particularly for the use of students, and when the apparatus is to be used by a finished performer, the pointer 11 as well as the indicator 1 5 and the appurtenances of the latter may be omitted without affecting my invention considered in the broader as- The nut 14 complementary to the screw or threaded shaft 13 is of the construction best shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, and is designed to cooperate-with a cone 20 on the lower porrtion'of the shaft 13, and with a cone 21 on the upper end of said shaft. This will be better understood when'it is stated that at the completion of itsdownward movement,

In the preferred embodi the nut 14 is disengaged by the cone 20 from the thread on the shaft 13, whereupon the nut 14 and the indicator 15 are quickly raised as a unit by a spring 22 to the uppermost point, where the nut 14 by cotiperation with the upper cone 21 will be reengaged with the thread of the shaft 13 so as to bring about a subsequent downward feed of the nut 14 and indicator 15. This provision permits of the composition that is being played being repeated without interrupting the op eration of the apparatus.

It will be apparent from the foregoin that my novel apparatus obviates the necesin order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the same. I do not desire,

-however,to be understood as confining myself vto the specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, lnasmuch as 1n the future practice ofthe invention, changes in l the form and relative arrangement of the elements may be made without involvingdeparture from the scope of my inventionas defined in my appended claims.

Having described invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent,

comprising a base, upright rolls mounted 1. Apparatus for the purpose described,

thereon, one of said rolls being movable laterally, means for transmittingrotary motion to one of said rolls, and a toggle lever con- .nected with said rolls and adapted when flexed to permit inward movement of the laterally movable roll and when extended to move said roll outwardly and thereby place a belt-like sheet on the rolls under tension.

2. In an apparatus to move an endless music sheet on which music is inscribed in a spiral manner lengthwise of the sheet, the

combination of means to move the sheet rectilinearly, and a line indicator connected with the sheet-moving means and arranged substantially parallel to" the lines on the sheet and movable throughout its length by the sheet-moving means in a direction substantially at right-angles to the line of move ment of the sheet and without aifectingthe substantial parallel relation of the indicator to the lines on the sheet.

3., Apparatus for the purpose described,

comprising a base, upright rolls mounted thereon, one of said rolls being a power roll and the other an idler roll, means for transmitting rotary motion to the power roll,

shaft sections engaging and extending upwardly from the rolls, a bar section on one shaft section, and a toggle lever hinged at one end to one shaft section and similarly connected at its opposite ends to the bar section on the other shaft section.

4. In an apparatus to move an endless music sheet on which music is inscribed in a spiral manner lengthwise of the sheet, the combination of means to move the sheet rectilinearly, a line indicator movable to a corresponding degree throughout its length in a direction at right angles to the line of movement of the sheet, and disposed at all times in approximate parallelism with the lines on the sheet, and means to so move the line indicator at the same time that the sheet is moved.

5. In music moving apparatus, the combination of spaced rolls, means for transmit ting rotary motion to one roll adapted for the mounting thereon of a belt-like sheet bearing music, a stationary pointer for cooperating with the said sheet, and a movable line indicator for also cooperating with the said shaft, said line indicator deriving mo-v tion from the same source of power as the power roll and being moved to the same degree throughout its length in approximate parallelism to music on the sheet.

6. Apparatus for the purpose described, comprising means to move a music-bearing sheet rectilinearly, a line indicator, a screw shaft, cones adjacent to the opposite ends thereof, a nut movable on and by the shaft and carrying the line indicator and controlled by the said cones, and a spring for quickly moving the said nut in one direction after the same is engaged by one of the cones from the screw shaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES FLYNN. 

